Comments on: Help! Soda Spill In Laptop

By: Lee

Lee — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 18:28:16 +0000

As a PC repair tech I agree with Cynthia; take it and get it looked at. Depending on the make of the laptop you could possibly get by with having them replace the keyboard for around $30-75. Even some of the most gentle cleaners will damage rubber and plastic components of the keyboard and worse the motherboard, so don’t attempt it. Once the keyboard is replaced, back up your data and hope for the best. Short of completely disassembling the laptop there’s no 100% guarantee that spill will be cleaned if it went past the keyboard. The problem with sodas or coffee is they dry fairly quickly when spilled into electronics because of the heat inside, but leave behind a sticky sugary mess. Over time parts inside the laptop affected by the leftover sugar residue will develop problems do to corrosion and dust buildup. So even though the laptop is currently still useable, back your data up on regular intervals so that you are prepared.

By: cynthia

cynthia — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:05:12 +0000

Yes, you can plug in a keyboard. But, since the soda spilled into the laptop could be damaging other parts of the computer, I would suggest getting it looked at ASAP. If the issues don’t extend beyond the keyboard, you could just substitute another keyboard.

By: j ford

j ford — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:55:28 +0000

Since the laptop seems to be working, can’t a usb keyboard be used until the laptop can be replaced? I use one because of the unrealistic size of the one on my laptop and its a whiz.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:42:27 +0000

Sorry to disagree with you Frank but the keyboard is not the issue on a laptop that got spilled on. As Cynthia implied the motherboard is going to fry if it hasn’t already. I have had 2 family members with similar problems and have heard of many others. One daughter’s son took a spray bottle of water and sprayed her laptop. The verdict, replace the motherboard. The other daughter’s husband spilled a glass of milk on his MACbook. The verdict, the MAC store wanted $700 to repair it, probably by replacing the motherboard. They didn’t have the money so one very expensive laptop is now useless.

By: Frank Darden

Frank Darden — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 06:02:36 +0000

Actually she might get a separate USB keyboard plug it in and go on using it. It would partially defeat the portability; but not all would be lost.